Eric Bledsoe

Matt Leinart struggled in his debut for the quarterback-depleted Buffalo Bills, who closed the preseason with a 35-13 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night at Orchard Park, N.Y. Looking like someone who had had only three days of practice, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner was three for 10 for 11 yards and two interceptions before being yanked after five possessions. That represents a major concern for Buffalo, which scrambled to sign the 2006 first-round draft pick Sunday after losing its top two quarterbacks to injury.

The Clippers completed an impressive week of deals by getting the backup point guard they needed. Free-agent guard Darren Collison and the Clippers verbally agreed to a two-year deal on Saturday, said NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Collison will get the rest of the mid-level exception the Clippers had left over after giving a portion of it to Matt Barnes. Collison's salary for the 2013-14 season will be $1.9 million. He'll have an opt-out clause he could exercise after the season.

The Clippers are reshaping their roster in a busy off-season. After acquiring a new coach in Doc Rivers and securing Chris Paul, the Pacific Division champions were able to land shooting guard J.J. Redick by agreeing to part with backup point guard Eric Bledsoe in a three-team, multi-player trade Tuesday. The Clippers will trade Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns for small forward Jared Dudley. To complete the deal, which can't be announced until July 10, the Clippers and Suns will each send the Milwaukee Bucks a second-round draft pick.

Eric Bledsoe was the centerpiece of a three-team trade in which the Clippers traded the backup point guard to the Phoenix Suns and acquired shooting guard J.J. Redick from the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign-and-trade. Redick has agreed to a four-deal worth $27 million to play for the Clippers. The Clippers will trade Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler to Phoenix for small forward Jared Dudley. The Clippers and Suns will both send second-round draft picks to the Bucks in the Redick deal.

1. Doc Rivers has already proved to be worth giving up that draft pick. Paul got his coach, and the Clippers got their franchise player. It's that simple. So what if the first-round draft pick the Clippers must surrender in 2015 turns out to be a good player? The Clippers could have made their first trip to the Finals by then. And that pick could be playing for the last-place Celtics. 2. Clippers executives can celebrate for five minutes and then it's back to work. Paul's return to the Clippers has been a done deal for some time now, so let's not go overboard with the parties.

To hardly anyone's surprise, All-Star point guard Chris Paul told the basketball world on Monday that he was going to re-sign with the Clippers. He went on his @CP3 Twitter account early Monday to announce his return, saying, "I'm IN!!!#CLIPPERSNATION. " Leon Rose, Paul's agent, confirmed that his client had verbally agreed to a new contract with the Clippers for five years and $107.3 million, the maximum the team could offer. Paul, 28, has an opt-out clause after the fourth season.

The Clippers called point guard Chris Paul as soon as the free-agency period opened Sunday at 9:01 p.m., but nothing was agreed to that night, according to NBA officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. But the officials said Paul is going to re-sign with the Clippers. The Clippers will offer Paul a maximum five-year deal worth $107.3 million. Paul, an unrestricted free agent, can't sign his contract until July 10 when the NBA lifts its moratorium on free-agent signings.

The Clippers had a big day Wednesday when they introduced Doc Rivers, who became the team's coach and senior vice president of basketball operations. The Clippers hope to have another big day Thursday during the NBA draft. They have a first-round pick at No. 25, a selection the Clippers hope will benefit the team. PHOTOS: Doc Rivers introduced as Clippers coach Gary Sacks, the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations, said they enter the draft looking for an athletic and defensive-minded wing player, or someone with a good outside shot who can help improve their bench.

The saga between the Clippers and the Boston Celtics continued, with the two teams resuming negotiations Wednesday on a deal that was supposedly dead one day, came back to life another day but was unable to be completed by the end of the day. The Clippers and Celtics had broken off talks Tuesday but started conversations again on a deal that centered on Coach Doc Rivers and All-Star forward Kevin Garnett coming to L.A., said league officials who...

The Clippers and Boston Celtics have renewed talks Wednesday again to try and broker a deal for Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to come to Los Angeles, said league officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the situation. The deal had broken down several times because the Celtics had requested DeAndre Jordan and two No. 1 draft picks and the Clippers refused. Boston and the Clippers had agreed that Eric Bledsoe wouldn't be a part of the deal. The Clippers also had been prepared to pay Rivers, who has three years left on his deal for $21 million, $6 million to $7 million per year over five seasons, the officials said.